1 Dead, Several Rescued In Weather-Related Incidents

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GLENDORA (CBSLA.com) — The storm that dumped as much as four inches of rain over the eastern San Gabriel Mountains Sunday left one person dead and many more in need of rescue.

The fierce storm was quick — over in less than an hour — but its swiftness and suddenness caught many off guard.

Cars were stranded or washed away, massive debris fields blocked roads, campers were stranded and several people had to be rescued from rising flood waters.

Authorities said the worst of the rain damage occurred near the communities of Mt. Baldy and Forest Falls in San Bernardino County. Residents were ordered to shelter in place.

A large rock slide covered all lanes of the Angeles Crest Highway at mile marker 66, near Little Jimmy Road, around 4:15 p.m.

Joo Hwan Lee (credit: CA DMV)

El Segundo resident Joo Hwan Lee, 48, was killed after his vehicle washed into a river near Mt. Baldy around 4:30 p.m. It was unclear if Lee died from drowning or exposure.

A slide near the Mt. Baldy Fire Station, reported just after 5:15 p.m., closed Mt. Baldy Road, according to the CHP.

Four to five people and a dog became stranded by raging flood water and were unable to reach their vehicle, Sgt. Rebecca Rodriguez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station said. They were airlifted to safety by a sheriff’s helicopter about 5:30 p.m.

An overturned vehicle was found near the intersection of Bear Creek and Mt. Baldy roads, but no one was inside, Rodriguez said.

Sunday evening, KCAL9’s Bobby Kaple reported that six hikers were missing but officials told him later the hikers were accounted for “and fine.”

The flooding also caused road damage that resulted in the closure of the following state highways:

Interstate 10 (I-10) eastbound at Eagle Mountain (about 4 miles west of Desert Center –post mile 103) has one lane open for an unknown duration. An emergency contract is in
place to repair the washed out #2 lane.